Dagenham East tube station

Dagenham East is a London Underground station on the District line, located in the suburb of Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The station is in Zone 5 and is located between Dagenham Heathway to the west and Elm Park to the east. The station has moderate usage for a suburban station, with approximately 2 million exits or entrances a year. The station was opened as a main line station in 1885 and was called Dagenham. The current station buildings date from the introduction of electric services in 1932 and of typical railway architectural style for the period, with little trace remaining of the station's Victorian origins. In 2006 the station was extensively refurbished by Metronet.

History

The station was initially opened as a main line station on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway in 1885, on a new branch connecting London with Southend by a more direct route than the existing service via Rainham. Dagenham was already served by a station on the original route at Dagenham Dock, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the south. The new station was opened as Dagenham, with the main station buildings on the up platform, which is now disused. From 1902 to 1905 the station was served by trains of the District Railway, who connected to the main line at a junction at Bow. The station was in a rural location until the building of the Becontree estate, of which it was on the eastern perimeter.

Dagenham

Coordinates: 51°32′23″N 0°08′32″E / 51.5397°N 0.1422°E / 51.5397; 0.1422

Dagenham is a large suburb of east London, England. It forms part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and is located approximately 11.5 miles (18.5 km) east of Charing Cross and around 9.5 miles (15.2 km) east of the City of London. Historically in Essex, it was an agrarian village and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921, when the London County Council began construction of the large Becontree estate. The population of the area significantly increased during the 20th century, with the parish of Dagenham becoming an urban district in 1926 and a municipal borough in 1938. It has formed part of Greater London since 1965 and is a predominantly residential area, with some areas of declining industrial activity, including the Ford Dagenham plant. The southern part of Dagenham is also known as South Romford and is also adjacent to the River Thames, forms part of the London Riverside section of the Thames Gateway redevelopment area. Dagenham had a population of 43,362 in 2011.

Dagenham (UK Parliament constituency)

Dagenham was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament that elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was replaced at the 2010 general election largely by Dagenham and Rainham.

Boundaries

1945-1974: The Municipal Borough of Dagenham.

1974-1983: The London Borough of Barking wards of Chadwell Heath, Eastbrook, Fanshawe, Heath, River, Valence and Village.

1983-2010: The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham wards of Alibon, Chadwell Heath, Eastbrook, Fanshawe, Heath, Marks Gate, River, Triptons, Valence and Village.

Boundary review

Following their review of parliamentary representation in North London, the Boundary Commission for England have created a new constituency of Dagenham and Rainham.

History

Before 1945 this Dagenham and surrounds area was part of the Romford constituency.

The MP for the predecessor seat since 1935, Labour's John Parker, stood again on each occasion in this smaller successor area, representing it until 1983. Parker was the last serving MP to have been elected before the Second World War, and with 48 years in Parliament, remains the longest-serving Labour MP in history.